Knitting mechanism and method



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KNITTING MECHANISM AND METHOD lzvmvz'm: [FAA 0H (7 CREE/Z y 3, 1960 I. H. c. GREEN 2,934,921

KNITTING MECHANISM AND METHOD Filed Dec. 10. 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2.

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KNITTING MECHANISM AND METHOD Filed D60. 10, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 39 [An/EMMA 1' [51A CH C GREE/V,

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KNITTING MECHANISM AND METHOD Filed Dec. 10. 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fla. 1].

[NI/ENTW? [MACH a CREE/V KNITTING MncnANrsM AND nrnon Isaac H. C. Green, Pawtucket, R.I., assignor to Hemphill Company, Pawtucket, R.l., a corporation of Massachusetts Application December 10, 1953, Serial No. 397,445

10 Claims. (Cl. 66-43) This invention relates to circular, independent needle, knitting machines. It has particular reference to improvements in yarn'feeding and needle selecting mechanisms in such machines and their methodof operation.

The principal object of the invention is to increase patterning possibilities, particularly in solid color hosiery machines. This is accomplished by changing the time of operation of yarn feeding levers and needle selecting mechanisms with respect to the phase of the cylinder stroke past yarn feeding and needle selecting stations.

The invention will be described as applied to a solid color pattern hosiery machine of the type described in U.S. Patent 2,217,022. Reference may be had to that patent and to the well-known Banner solid color pattern machines for an understanding of the basic mechanisms and methods of knitting involved.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a yarn lever control mechanism, and part of a needle selecting mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a top view of a yarn lever shifting mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a front view of the shifting mechanism of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a top view of the needle selecting mechanism of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an elevation of part of the needle selecting mechanism of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a top view of a cam drum and split cam rows for operating the yarn levers;

Fig. 7 is an end view of the drum in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a top view of a cam drum and split cam rows used for operating the needle selecting mechanism;

Fig. 9 is an end view of a portion of the drum and one of the split cam rows of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is' a similar view of another split cam row;

Fig. 11 is a diagrammatic presentation of Argyle hosiery fabric knit by the mechanism and method of the invention;

Figs. 12 and 13 are similar presentations of other fabrics;

Fig. 14 is a diagrammatic presentation of the yarn lever set-up used to knit the fabric of Fig. 11;

Fig. 15 is a similar diagrammatic presentation for knitting the fabric of Fig. 12; and, a

Fig. 16 is a similar diagrammatic presentation for knit- .fiQ

ting the fabric of Fig. 13. a

Fig. 1 shows a yarn lever operating mechanism con sisting of a yarn feeding lever 1, a centrally pivoted inter-" mediate lever 2, and a rocker 3. The rocker 3 is operated by a cam row 4 on a drum 5; and, through the intermediate lever 2, it moves the yarn lever 1 between yarn feeding and inactive positions. There are as many yarn leversand associated mechanisms for operating them, including cam rows, etc., as there are yarns to be fed at the particular yarn feeding station. This description will be limited to a single yarn lever and its operating mechanism.

The cam row associated with the rocker 3 is shown at 4 in Fig. 2. It might best be described as a split cam States Patent row providing two adjacent cam tracks (6 and 7) of different character, since (as shown in Fig. 6) the cam row is stepped laterally at either or both ends so as to provide longer and shorter cam paths for the same cam row. The length, and position around the drum, of each track is made to conform with the operating cycle desired for its associated yarn lever by proper stepping of the cam.

The cam following portion 8 of the rocker 3 is hinged at 9 so that it can be swung from one track to the other (6 or 7) on the split cam row 4. The means for swinging this hinged section comprises an arm' 10 (Figs. 1-3) supporting a shaft having a suitable number of collars with projecting studs 11 which depend therefrom and engage a built-up portion on the top of the hinged section 8. The arm 10 is shogged laterally above the rocker 3 so as to accomplish this swinging by a mechanism equivalent to the yarn lever control system shown and described in U.S. Patent 2,625,808.

This shogging mechanism consists (see Figs. 2 and 3) of a shaft 12 having a slidable sleeve 13 to which the arm 10 is secured. The sleeve 13 is slid back and forth along the shaft 12 in response to the movements of a lever 14 following a cam row 15 on a drum 16. Lever 14 is connected to the sleeve 13 through a connecting link 17 secured to the bottom of a rod 18 (Fig. 3) which has one end of a curved link 19 attached to its top. The other end of link 19,is secured to the center of a rod 20 which has a connecting link 21 at its top. The connecting link 21 engages with a pin 22 in a collar 23 secured to the sleeve 13. Thus, as lever 14 is moved in and out by the cam row 15, it imparts a back and forth motion to the sleeve 13 along the shaft 12 and the other.

The needle selecting mechanism (see Fig. 4) consists of a series of plungers 24 each operated by a centrally pivoted plunger lever 25 the movements of which are controlled by a pattern disc 26 on a pattern drum 27. A coil spring 28 urges the nose 29 of plunger lever 25 against the disc 26. The presence or absence of butts 30, as the disc is rotated, determines whether the lever 25 will pivot to move plunger 24 into or out of needle selecting position.

Only one plunger 24 with its individual operating mechanism is shown and described, but there are as many plungers and associated mechanisms as there are steps of needle selection. The plungers, plunger levers and pattern discs are all assembled one above the other in a vertical array in a manner familiar to the art.

Spindles 31 and 32 having plunger engaging projections (Figs. 4 am} 5) restrain separate groups of plunger levers 25 from springing their plun into needle selecting position immediately whenwr' on of the disc 26 removes a b itt 30 from under thevcarn following nose 2 9 of lever 2,5, Spindle 31 is rotated through connecting links 33 and 34, by a mechanism, later to be described, to determine exactly when the plunger 24 will be moved into needle selecting position.

The selecting mechanism as set forth to this point is V familiar to those skilled in the artand is described in more detail in the above referred to U.S. Patent No.

lever 35 is pivoted at 37 (see Figs. 1, 3 and 4), and is fastened at its bottom to a connecting link 33 which turns the spindle 31 as described above. The hinged portion 36 follows acam. row 38 on a drum 39 which is on a common shaft with the yarn lever control drum 5. The

cam row 38 has split portions 40 and 41 (Figs. 8 and 9) similar to the tracks 6 and 7 on cam row 4.

The lever 35 is shown in a side view in Fig. 1. It

has a tail portion 42 to which a spring 43 secured to a stud 44 is attached. This urges the hinged cam following portion 36 against the cam row 38.

The mechanism for shifting the hinged section 36 from one of the split cam tracks to the other (40, 41) consists of a shaft 45 which is movable longitudinally of its axis in a. bearing46 (Fig. 3). Collars 47 and 48 secured to shaft 45 engage with the hinged portion 36 and cause them to move from one cam track to another as the shaft is moved back and forth.

The shaft is moved by the same mechanism that shogs the sleeve 13 in the yarn lever control system. For this purpose, a connecting link 49 in engagement with a stud 50 secured to the collar 48 is connected to the bottom of the rod 20 which is turned by lever 14 and its associated mechanism as described above.

This method of operation causes the selecting mechanisms to change their time of operation in unison with the yarn levers. A mechanism duplicating lever 14 and cam row on the drum 16 can be coupled directly to the shaft 45 to pivot the cam following portions 36 of the selector operating mechanism independently of changes in the yarn lever control system if such separate operation is desired.

Lever 35 and its associated mechanism have been described for turning spindle 31 and thereby timing the operation of its needle selecting plungers. Similar mechanism is used to turn spindle 3'2 and operate its plungers. Fig. 10 shows another split cam row for operating another hinged lever similar to 35 in such a mechanism.

One of the fabrics which may be successfully knit with this mechanism is the Argyle stocking shown in Fig. 11. The stocking is represented as though it were cut up the back and laid out flat. The fabric may consist of gray (GY), green (GR) and yellow (Y) diamonds, with red overplaid lines (R) intersecting them.

Those of the gray diamonds, which are shown as being separated at their middle and lying half on either side of Fig. 11, are knit with yarn from the lever 51 on the the red is to appear. The red is knit in the floated wales on the other side of the machine. A similar technique is employed to knit the green and yellow diamonds on the auxiliary side of the machine and put in their overplaid on the main side. This is done in two-course sequences with the cylinder being reciprocated back and forth so that, on a clockwise stroke, a course of diamond yarn is knit at one feed leaving floats in the wales where the overplaid yarn is to appear, then on the same stroke of the machine, the overplaid yarn is knit into the floated wales at the other feed to complete the first course. On the counter-clockwise or reverse stroke of the machine, the overplaid yarn is knit through loops of the previous course in its proper wales according to the pattern at one feed, and the diamond yarn is knit in the remaining wales and floated the overplaid yarn at the opposite feed to complete the second course.

It will be appreciated that this sequence of knitting calls for extremely accurate and dependable yarn lever manipulation; and, although commercial fabric could be made before the present invention, difficulty was encountered with tangling of yarns, etc. The mechanism and method of the invention have overcome these difliculties and provide a fully automatic and dependable method of knitting the fabric.

The sequence of operation followed in knitting the fabric of Fig. 11, as outlined above, is as follows: The gray diamonds are knit on the main side, the green and yellow diamonds are knit on the auxiliary side, the overplaid within the gray diamonds is knit on the auxiliary side and the overplaid within the green and yellow diamonds is knit on the main side.

During the courses designated as portion 71 of the fabric in Fig. 11, i.e. where overplaid is knit in the gray diamonds and not in the green and yellow diamonds, the yarns are fed in the following order.

On the clockwise stroke of the cylinder, i.e. with the knitted loops being formed from right to left as the fabric is shown in the figure: lever 53 on the auxiliary side feeds main side (M) (Fig. 14) of a two feed machine (i.e. a

machine having two knitting stations). The gray diamonds in the center of the fabric as shown are knit with another yarn which is fed from the yarn lever 52 at the same side of the machine. The green diamonds (GR) are knit with yarn fed by the lever 53 on the auxiliary side (A) and the yellow diamonds (Y) are knit with yarn fed by the lever 54, also on the auxiliary side.

The red overplaid lines (R) are not knit with a single yarn but with eight different yarns in adjoining sections in intermittent zigzags down the stocking as shown at 55-62 in Fig. 11. Iunction of the zigzags gives the effect of single lines intersecting the diamonds in diagonal directions.

Lever 63 on the auxiliary side feeds the yarn for the red overpaid in section 59 of the gray diamonds in the center of Fig. 11, and lever 64 at the same station feeds the yarn for the red overplaid in section 58 of the same diamond. Levers 65 and 66, also on the auxiliary side, feed the yarn for the red overplaid in sections 55 and 62 respectively in the gray diamonds which are represented as cut in half and lying on either side of the stretched out fabric. On the main side of the machine, levers 67, 68, 69 and 70 feed the yarn for the overplaid in sections 61, 60, 57 and 56 respectively of the green and yellow diamonds.

The basic methods by which the diamonds and their respective overplaid patterns are knit are disclosed in US. Patents 2,588,718 and 2,626,516. In brief, the gray diamonds are knit on the main side of the machine with the needles that are to knit the red overplaid not taking the gray yarn so that a float is formed in the wales where the yarn for the green diamond; lever 51 on the main side feeds the split gray diamond, levers 63 and 64 on the auxiliary side, furnish the red yarns successively for the overplaids in sections 59 and 58 respectively in the center gray diamond; lever 52 on the main side feeds the yarn for the gray diamond shown at the center of the fabric; lever 54 on the auxiliary side furnishes the yarn for the yellow diamond; and levers 65 and 66 also on the auxiliary side feed red overplaid yarns successively to sections 55 and 62 of the last knit gray diamond.

On the reverse, or counter-clockwise, stroke, the order of knitting is reversed: lever 66 on the auxiliary side feeds the red overplaid yarn for section 62; lever 52 on the main side, feeds the center gray diamond; lever 65, on the auxiliary side, feeds the red overplaid for section 55; lever 54 also on the auxiliary side feeds the yellow diamond; lever 51, on the main side, feeds the split gray diamond; levers 64 and 63, on the auxiliary side, feed the overplaid to sections 58 and 59 respectively, and in that order; and, lever 53, also on the auxiliary side feeds the green diamond.

The courses designated as portion 72 of the fabric in Fig. 11 differ from those of portion 71 in that the gray diamonds have narrowed while the green and yellow diamonds have widened, and the red overplaid yarns have ceased to knit in the'gray diamonds, but are knitting in the green' and yellow diamonds. In this portion, the yarn feeding sequence is as follows (on the clockwise stroke): auxiliaryside-lever 53 feeds the green diamond then lever 54 feeds the yellow diamond; main sidelevers 69 and 70 in that order feed red overplaid to sections 57 and 56 respectively of the yellow diamond, lever 51 feeds the split gray diamond, levers 67 and 68 in that order feed red overplaid yarns to sections 61 and 60 respectively of the green diamond, and lever 52 feeds the center gray diamond. (On the counterclockwise stroke): auxiliary side-lever 54 feeds the yellow diamond and lever 53 feeds the green diamond in thatorder; main side-lever 52 feeds gray center diamond, levers 68 and 67, in that order, feed red overplaidto sections 60 and 61 respectively of the green diamond, lever 51 feeds the gray split diamond, and levers 70 and 69, in that order, feed the red overplaid to sections 56 and 57 respectively of the yellow diamond.

This sequence of knitting eliminates some of the tangling of yarns, troublesome stress on the fabric, etc., which were initially encountered in knitting overplaid Argyles by automatic methods. It does, however, present problems in operational timing of yarn lever and needle selection controls that have been overcome only by special use of the mechanism previously described.

For example, as explained above, in portion 71 of the fabric of Fig. 11, on the clockwise stroke of the machine (i.e. when the fabric is being knit from right to left as shown in the figure) the red overplaids in sections 59 and 58 of the gray center diamond are knit on the same passage through the auxiliary knitting station as the yellow diamond, but in advance of that diamond. However, in portion 72 of the same fabric, section 59 of the green diamond is knit in the same wales (i.e. on the feeding sequence, because during the knitting of portion 71 the yellow yarn cannot be fed until after the needles which knit the red overplaid in section 58 have passed yarn taking position, and during the knitting of portion 72 it must be fed to these same needles. If the yellow yarn were in feeding position at the same time during the knitting of both portions, the needles which had been selected to take the red overplaid would also take and knit the yellow diamond yarn at the same time. This makes it necessary for the yarn lever to move into yarn feeding position at different times with respect to the stroke of the cylinder through the yarn feeding station for the two different portions, 71 and 72, of the fabric.

A similar problem is presented for the operation of the selecting mechanism. For example, during the knitting of the portion 71 the selectors 73, on the clockwise stroke of the cylinder, must move into needle selecting position, on the auxiliary side, in time to raise the appropriate jacks to select the needles which are to knit the red overplaid in section 59 to yarn taking position. During the knitting of portion 72, however, if the needle selectors were moved into needle selecting position in time to raise the needles of section 59, i.e. somewhere within the green diamond, yellow yarn would be fed to needles which were intended to knit the green diamond. Or, if green and yellow yarns were fed in the proper sequence with the feeding of the green yarn being interrupted to accommodate the yellow and continued to complete the green diamond, there would be a seam within the green began its first and ended its second knitting. To knit a seam free diamond the needle selectors must move into needleselecting position in the area between the green and yellow diamonds, i.e. either between sections 58 selecting station during the knitting of different portions of the same fabric.

' diamond along the wale or wales where the green yarn wise and/or wale-wise overlapping portions.

is made up of a combination of different areas.

The applicability of the invention, however, is not limited to the solid diamond and overplaid of Fig. 11. It is also applicable to many other patterns with course- Figs. 12 and 13 are illustrative of some of the other possibilities.

The fabric of Fig. 12 comprises a solid colored body with brown (BR) and blue (BL) polka dots. The body is knit with separate yarns 74-77 which are the same color to produce an effect of continuity. The sections as knit by the different yarns are set off by dotted lines in the figure.

The basic knitting of the stocking is in accordance with the two feed solid diamond method of Patent No.

2,217,022 referred to above. The body yarns 74-77 are fed from the levers 78-81 respectively at the main side of the machine and the brown and blue polka dot yarns are fed from levers 82 and 83 respectively on the auxiliary side.

Examination of the fabric of Fig. 12 shows the necessity for different timing of the mechanisms which select the needles which knit the yarns 74-77 in the. different portions of the stocking. To prevent seams within these areas the selection must come outside of them, i.e. at the point where a polka dot which is knit on the opposite side of the machine sets off the beginning of one and the end of another body area. Consequently, during knitting of the portion of the fabric which contains the first row of polka dots the selectors which raise the appropriate needle jacks to select the needles to knit the yarns 74 and 75 must be moved into needle selecting position while the needles of either section 82a or 82b are passing the selecting station. But during the knitting of the portion containing the second row of polka dots, selection of the body area needles must take place while sections 83a or 83b of the fabric, or more properly speaking, the jacks of the needles which knit them, are passing through the needle selecting station. Thepolka dot needles will not be influenced by the body needle selectors because they knit on the auxiliary side of the machine and are selected at a separate station.

In Fig. 12 the body of the fabric, as explained above, A given area overlaps its different neighbors in either a coursewire or a Wale-wise direction but no two areas are found to overlap each other in both wales and courses. This makes it necessary to match yarns of exactly the same color so that the'areas will blend into a harmonious whole and not show up individually.

Fig. 13 shows how different body areas 86 and 87 knit with separate yarns from separate levers 88 and 89 respectively on the main side of the machine (Fig. 16)

can be continued in zigzag fashion throughout the length of the fabric by overlappingboth their wales and courses. Again, this is made possible without seaming in the overlapped wales and without confusion of yarns by changing the timing of the operation of the needle selecting mechanism and yarn feeding levers in different portions of the fabric by the method and mechanism of the invention.

The problem is different for the fabric of Fig. 13 over that for Fig. 12 because in Fig. 13 pattern yarns from the same feeding station overlap each other in both Wale-wise and course-wise directions, i.e. they have both common wales and common courses, whereas in Fig. 12

one pattern yarn overlaps another only in common wales,

or common coursesnot in both simultaneously. The different yarns 75-77 of Fig. 12 always knit in substantially the same wales so the yarn lever for each of the yarns can always move into and out of yarn feeding position at the same time. Only the timing of the selectors need be changed, because all the needles for an individual course knit on the main side of the machine must be selected at the same station and at the same time, and this time changes for dilferent portions of the fabric. Thus the fabric .of Fig. 13 requires a difference -7 in the time of operation of the same yarn lever in different portions of the stocking as well as a different time of operation for the selecting mechanism, while the fabric of Fig. 12 requires no change in thetime of operation of yarn levers, provided the timing of the selectors is ade quately changed.

The polka dots themselves demonstrate another application of the invention. In Fig. 12 the first row of polka dots is brown, the second row has'one brown and one blue and the third row is all blue with no brown. Hinged yarn levers operating on a split cam row with one cam track keeping the yarn lever out of operation through a complete course or number of courses and another cam track permitting the-same lever to move into yarn feeding position for a portion of a course or courses is a satisfactory way of handling'this yarn feed ing problem.

In Fig. 13 the brown, blue, green and red polka dots are knit with yarn fed from levers 90, 91, 92 and 93 respectively at the'auxiliary side of the machine (Fig. 16). The second row of polka dots differs from the first row in that the colors have leap-frogged each other; for example the blue polka dot which in the first row is knit in wales following the wales in which the green polka dot was knit, is now knit in advance of those particular wales, that is, it has moved from section 94 acro'ss sections 95 and 96 and into section 97. Since both the blue and green yarns are fed at the same feed and are knit on the same passage through the knitting station the .blue yarn must be fed after the needles which knit 96 have taken the green yarn for the first row of polka dots, and before these same needles pass through the station for the second row of polka dots. This means a different time of operation for the yarn lever 91 which feeds the blue yarnduring the different portions of the fabric which contain the different rows of polka dots. The split cam and hinged rocker in theyarn lever operating mechanism previously described makes it possible to vary the operation of the blue yarn lever in this manner in different portions of the same fabric. Similar mechanisms produce similar results forthe other polka dot yarns. V g 1 In the claims the needle selecting member is defined as being stationary with respect to the rotation of the cylinder. While the selecting member moves radially of the cylinder for the purpose of effecting a selection or for failing to select needles or instrumentalities, it is relatively fixed in the rotary sense so that the instrumen talities move past it during their rotation or oscillation.

In this description specifically numbered levers in specific positions on a two feed machine have been utilized to describe how various fabrics are knit. The invention, of course, is not limited to the specific yarn le ver arrangements shown nor to two feed machines. It is equally applicable to single feed machines and machines having more than two knitting stations. Likewise, the patterning possibilities are not limited to solid diamond argyles with overplaids or to polka dots. The invention can be used to produce a wide variety of coursewise and/or Wale-wise overlapping patterns, such as patterns within patterns. 1

I claim:

1. In or for a circular, independent needle, knitting machine, a yarn lever and a yarn lever operating mechanism which includes a rocker lever capable of imparting operative movements to said yarn. lever, said rocker lever having a cam following portion, a rotatable cam drum having a split cam row in operative engagement with said cam following portion, said split cam row providing adjacent cam tracks of different character, and means for-bodily shifting said cam following portion from engagement with one of said tracks to engagement with another.

2. The invention according to claim 1 and wherein said. cam following p tion om r ses a h nged sectio machine, a needle selecting mechanism which comprises a needle selecting member and means for moving said selecting member to and from needle selecting position, said means for moving including a cam drum, a split cam row on said drum, said split cam row providing adjacent cam tracks of different character, a lever having a cam following portion capable of operative engagement with said cam row, and means for shifting said cam following portion from one of said cam tracks to another.

4. The invention according to claim 3 and wherein said cam following portion comprises a hinged section of said lever and said means for shifting comprises a devicefor pivoting said hinged section.

5. In or for a circular, independent needle, knitting machine, a rotatable needle bearing cylinder, a yarn feeding lever and a needle selecting member both stationary with respect to the rotation of said cylinder, means for moving said yarn feeding lever into and out of yarn feeding position at different angular positions of said needle cylinder with respect to said lever during the knitting of different portions of a single knitted article and means for similarly moving said needle selecting member, and wherein said means for moving said yarn feeding lever and said means for moving said needle selecting member each comprise a cam drum having'a split cam row providing adjacent cam tracks of different character and a lever'h aving a cam following portion in engagement with said cam row, said cam following portion being capable of movement between adjacent cam tracks. p

6. The invention according to claim 5 and wherein said cam following portion comprises a hinged section of said lever and means is provided for pivoting said hinged section for engagement with different ones of said needle, knitting machine of the multi-feed type tubular fabric having a first pattern area such as a diamond knit with a first pattern yarn, a second pattern area knit with a second pattern. yarn, a third pattern area knit with a third pattern yarn, and a fourth pattern area knit with a fourth pattern yarn, said first pattern area having a first design portion such as an overplaid knit with a first design yarn and a second design portion such as another overplaid knit with a second design yarn, and said third pattern area having a third design portion knit with a third design yarn and a fourth design portion knit with a fourth designyarn, which comprises the steps of knitting in a reciprocatory manner in two'su'cce ssive courses at a main and an auxiliary knitting station the above enumerated areas and portions with their designated yarns in the following sequence atfthe stations indicated: on the forward stroke at-the main station- -first design portion, second design portion, second pattern area, third design portion, fourth design portion, fourth pattern area at the auxiliary station-first pattern area, third pattern a 9 a control means eflective upon said restraining means for varying the timing of its function thereby difierently to efiect needle selectionby said selecting members and pattern means. 1

10. In a circulan independent needle knitting machine, a rotatable needle bearing cylinder, needle selecting members stationary with respect to the rotation of said cylinder, a pattern means effective upon said selecting members, means for periodically restraining said selecting members from being affected by said pattern means, and a control means effective upon said restraining means for varying the action of said selecting members so that specific selecting functions occur at dilferent angular positions of said needle bearing cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

